Toronto / February 2025
“We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope.” Martin Luther King, Jr.
Before leaving on my usual mid-winter vacation to warmer climes last month, our country and the world were nervously chuckling at the newly elected USA President’s musings about Canada being a 51st State of the USA and disrespectfully calling our Prime Minister, “Governor” as an insult - a belittling, an emasculation if you will.
The threat of historical tariffs against Canadian exports was received more seriously as Canada and Mexico scrambled to respond to this new and unanticipated economic threat, just as both countries were beginning preparation to renegotiate the tripartite trade agreement.
The Canadian response to false and preposterous claims of unfettered drug trading (less than 0.02% of drugs, primarily fentanyl into USA comes from Canada) and irregular (what USA and some Canadian politicians call illegal) crossings across our borders. There was an uptick in irregular crossings in 2023/2024 (total 23,721 people) but nothing like the over !00K that crossed from the US to Canada in the post 2016 to the 2023/24 year.
The government’s decision to pour billions of dollars into border security to appease the USA (bullies never back down if they keep getting what they want) is problematic at best. At a time that the political system in the USA is under attack from within, with all pretense of democracy being tossed out the window, whole populations being demonized because of race, ethnicity, gender identity and sexual orientation and faith, we should be opening our borders to those in need of protection.
We should be saying as one voice, that the USA is no longer safe for many made vulnerable by national and regional laws and policies. The Canadian government should be having internal talks about how to withdraw from the Safe Third Country Agreement. Should be saying that we will not be bullied based on lies. That we as a sovereign nation will decide our own priorities.
As a sector, feeling the discomfort and anticipating the pain of significant reduction in funding for the services and staffing of our organizations, it is difficult to watch billions being poured into enforcement for our borders while those who are in need of protection and settlement and integration supports within our borders will have to do without.
On my way back from a restful and fun time in the sun of the South Pacific, where I stayed away from world news as much as possible, I was shocked (and I’m not easily surprised or shocked) to read, that influenced by the owner of the former social media platform, Twitter, the US president had issued an executive order, eliminating financial and other economic and social development programs and supports for South Africa. In addition, the order created a pathway for Afrikaners (white colonists of primarily Dutch, German and Belgian ancestry that along with other white South Africans continue to own most of the wealth and land of the country) to go the USA as refugees(!). One cannot make this s**t up! The mind boggles.
This attack on South Africa, the doubling down on the Palestinian genocide with musings about razing Gaza and selling off the land, all point to a dystopia some progressives warned about with this US Republican president in office.
Here in Canada we are hearing and seeing echoes of this. We are witnessing some self-interested business people and regional politicians bow to and agree with the false narratives about the shared border. We are hearing agreement about Canada integrating with the US, economically and geographically. We are hearing and watching with great concern, Canadians and our government amplifying xenophobic and at times racist messages about im/migrants and refugees (convention and claimants) and their economic and social impacts on our society. What a difference a few years and self-delusion can make: from ‘heroes’ and ‘angels’ during a global health pandemic to ‘illegals’ and ‘systems abusers’ during the resulting economic crisis. For the first time in my memory, a Canadian federal election will have immigration as one of its featured talking points- and not in a good way.
The Canadian government’s decision to cut immigration targets by 20% or so over the next three years across all streams including the humanitarian stream is troubling. The decision to cut up to 3300 in staffing positions in the Department responsible for the immigration program and the fall out in staffing loss in the sector from cuts to programs and services is short-sighted. And as we experienced in 2012-13, will quickly have to be reversed as the backlog (now at over 900K) in applications across all streams become unmanageable. And the availability of services for new arrivals is dramatically reduced leading to waitlists, and most important delayed settlement (employment, language acquisition, etc) for individuals and families.
There is a sense of fear in our land, that I’ve not experienced before. Many people in my family, friends and professional circles are sharing that they’re tuning out, unable to engage this political moment. Many have said they are bracing for more bad news, for more reversals of our hard fought for and won human rights. Some have pointed to the ongoing Ontario election campaign as an example of the things not changing, anticipating that after millions of dollars have been spent, when there are more than a hundred thousand Ontarians without permanent safe housing, the same government will be back in power, with the same majority.
The federal Liberal party leadership competition isn’t bringing any more positivity. A sense of same old, same old – in thoughts, priorities and vision (or lack thereof).
At OCASI, I must admit there was this sense of foreboding as well. In addition to the cuts in funding to our members and to the Council itself, we are worried, that a positive outcome of the previous trade agreement among the three North American nations - the creation of a tripartite agreement to build a continental network of racial justice and equity organizations and actions, would be scuttled by the current political regime in the US and any change in political leadership here in Canada. The outcome of the recent Mexican election gave us some hope.
But I was reminded this morning, before I sat down to write this, that there are bright lights in the gathering darkness. As I read accounts of programs closing and members facing pressures to find funds to pay out severance as they are forced to lay-off staff, I also received messages from members who were funded for the first time for the important work that they do. Across Ontario and the membership, these sparks remain, as points of hope. Even at the Council with significant cuts of up to 20% in year two of our funding contracts with IRCC, I am reminded of the light that is the Equity Stream program (significantly reduced though it is) which will allow us to support small agencies serving equity-seeking communities across the province.
I reminded myself that we are a resilient sector and have weathered these financial and potential political storms before. We have survived. We have thrived. We have as a sector, always found and used the opportunities in moments of crises to advance the work and the good that we do as a collective. It is our sector elder and one of the past chairs of the Council who often reminded us to look for the opportunities in the middle of crisis. And we have done so in the past. And I/we will ensure that we do so in this moment of financial crisis many orgs are facing. And the political crisis the continent and the world is facing.
In this month of celebration and re-memory of Black/African histories, presents and futures I call into our consciousness the words of both Martin Luther King Jr. and Reverend Desmond Tutu. The former (MLKJ) said: “But I know, somehow, that only when it is dark enough can you see the stars” and our South African sage (Desmond Tutu): “Hope is being able to see that there is light despite all of the darkness.”
But I’ll give the last words to our Canadian griot Leonard Cohen: “There is a crack in everything. That’s how the light gets in”.
This is the time for Solidarity across interests and communities.
Walk well!